haustorium

American  

[haw-stawr-ee-uhm, -stohr-] / hɔˈstɔr i əm, -ˈstoʊr- /

noun

haustoria plural

1. a projection from the hypha of a fungus into the organic matter from which it absorbs nutrients.

2. the penetrating feeding organ of certain parasites.

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haustorium British  

/ hɔːˈstɔːrɪəm /

noun

1. the organ of a parasitic plant that penetrates the host tissues and absorbs food and water from them

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haustorium Scientific  

/ hô-stôr′ē-əm /

haustoria plural

1. A specialized absorbing structure of a parasitic fungus or plant, such as the rootlike outgrowth of the dodder, that obtains food from a host plant. In parasitic fungi, haustoria are specialized hyphae that penetrate the cells of other organisms and absorb nutrients directly from them.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• haustorial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• haustoria
  plural

Etymology

Origin of haustorium

1870–75; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin haus- (variant stem of haurīre to draw, scoop up) + -tōrium -tory ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

haustorium haustoria

The peg is then followed by a haustorium, the root that plugs into the arboreal host to draw off nutrients and water.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 21, 2012

The fungus penetrates the tissue of the worm by extending specialized hyphae called haustoria.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

Many parasitic fungi possess haustoria, as these structures penetrate the tissues of the host, release digestive enzymes within the host’s body, and absorb the digested nutrients.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

Embryo. 1-6 enlarged. c, stem of host. d, stem of Cuscuta. h, haustoria.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 5 "Dinard" to "Dodsworth" by Various

Some epiphytes, however, are able to fix their hyphae to the epidermis by sending minute peg-like projections into the cuticle—Trichosphaeria, Herpotrichia—while others send haustoria right through the outer epidermal walls—e.g.

From Disease in Plants by Ward, H. Marshall

They form a superficial mycelium on the surface of the plant, the hyphae not usually penetrating the tissues but merely sending haustoria into the epidermal cells.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various